AFP story on EU aid suspension is misleading – says Rwanda FM

Rwanda’s FM Louise Mushikiwabo met her EU counterpart, Catherine Ashton, on September 04 in Brussels (Photo: EC)

Rwanda’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Louise Mushikiwabo, on Tuesday reacted strongly to a news story by French news agency AFP reporting that the European Union had suspended aid to Rwanda.

“The story…..is either old news or is designed to mislead,” said Mushikiwabo on her Twitter account, just a minutes after the AFP story had been published.

The French agency quoted Michael Mann, spokesman for EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, as saying the aid suspension was due to alleged Rwanda role in eastern DRC conflict.

“The EU is not interrupting ongoing projects, which are there to help the poor,” said Mann. “But (it) is delaying decisions on additional budget support in the pipeline pending clarification of Rwanda’s role and its constructive engagement in search of solutions.”

Rwanda’s top diplomat said responded on her Twitter that: “No such decision has been taken.”

The latest development comes after Mushikiwabo met Catherine Ashton on September 04, in Brussels. Mushikiwabo was on a European tour during which she was in the UK, France and at the French grouping Francophone.